As part of the Skills Development for Youth Employment in Nigeria (SKYE) program, twenty artisans, including returned migrants from Europe, were trained with carpentry skills.
Woodworking tool kits were handed over to the trainees at an event to mark the completion of the training in Lagos on Friday.
The training of the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), conducted in conjunction with the German organization Robert Bosch Nigeria, is a pilot system for the development of technical and vocational skills in Nigeria.
The four-week skill acquisition program was marked ‘Empowerment of Carpenters and Reintegration of migrants in Nigeria’
According to Caroline Chukwura, a representative of GIZ and SKYE, the training was financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
As he learned how to use several carpentry instruments, Julius Obasise, a training participant, said the training was impactful.
“We learned how to make good furniture, how to make it neat and faster.
“Before I didn’t know how to use a centimetre, but now I can use it well,” he added.
Mr Obasise said he was subjected to a greater level of abilities even though he was in the making of furniture before the exercise.
The training was interesting and life-changing, said Ejiro Daniels, a Brazilian returnee.
“It was unique in that it was practical hands-on and there was a lot of acquisition and problem-solving.”
He said that instead of doing a perfect job and design they were taught “rushing through a work.”
Mr Daniels, a technician who came back over two years ago, said he hoped to begin his workshop and use his training expertise.
“There is a lot you can do for yourself back home here, the risk involved in travelling out is not worth it,” he said.
The training organizers said it was intended to empower attendees with the knowledge of professional carpentry to allow them to obtain self-employment and develop a better life in their home nation.
The facilitator at the training, Matthias Cenric, outlined it to him as an exciting and demanding experience.
“It is the first time I will be training people using the English language.”
According to him, his little fluency in English made the training a little challenging for the participants and “I had to use my hands most often.”
The interesting aspect for Mr Cenric was that the trainees were extremely cooperative and very encouraging in the training session. He said he hoped that more training would be facilitated.